Rosemary
by Leikaru
Summary: AU Set in a time of war, six beings must be united to save their land from a timeless enemy. One problem: One can't even correctly remember who he is. Yaoi, shounenai, yuri, 1x2 3x4 5x6 scenes with language and blood lust, and maybe even some lust.
1. Foreword

**Forword is IMPORTANT**

"Speech"

'Thought'

_Mind communication_

All the people of this story are of various different crosses between creatures such as dragons, cats, wolves, parrots... ect. They all hatch from eggs as well, but the eggs aren't 'born' the same way a bird or snake or what ever would birth it. One of the two mates get pregnant, and then 2 weeks later, while they sleep, the egg/eggs will form, tucked safely in the curve of the 'mothers' side. They all appear human, unless they switch to their other forms.

The term brother is used a lot here, but in the terms that many of them use it, it merely means that their 'mothers' used the same nest (they are born from eggs), and lived together since hatching. They might not even be directly related.

In this story, it is possible for certain males to give birth, so that explains why there are certain intendeds where both are male. Just as two females can be intended, though there is a difference as to how that works, only one of them carries the eggs.

Okay, so that's just a basic start so you're not all confused later on.


	2. Forgotten

Chapter One: Forgotten

Disclaimer: I don't own GW or it's characters (If I did, I wouldn't be writting this now would I), but there are certain ones in here that I DO own.

Sain is the official muse for this story.

S: Damn straight.

* * *

Cold stern eyes stared out over the group of young men that stood fidgeting in front of them, and the eyes smiled slightly. Several of those standing before him paled considerably, and he chuckled thickly under his breath. Gaining control of himself, he stood straighter and addressed the recruits, both willing and forced, in a growl. 

"My name is Conner! I am the one through which everything you do will be monitored!" he looked over them as they trembled nervously. "You will be up at the break of dawn, and running fifty laps around the castle perimeter! After that you get to have breakfast, and then it's to the training fields with ya!" many faces paled at his words, and several groans were audible. " Remember! I take no prisoners, and I eat my dead! After breakfast tomorrow morning, your training will be explained in full!!"

The men all looked at the beast that stood sternly before them as he finished speaking. He was tall with broad shoulders, a thick build, and his muscles hefty. Perhaps at one time he had been a handsome man, but now several wide gauges marred his face, not completely disfiguring him, but turning his previous good looks to a rugged, perhaps slightly roughish, appearance. Thick and black, his hair was cut fairly short and no streaks of grey marred the tresses. He didn't look much older than thirty, but the men were unsure of what race he was, so they could not be completely sure. All they knew was that he was a man to be respected and feared. The way he carried himself was proof of that. But wary as they were of him, there were two within their midst's that they perhaps, feared even more.

Both weren't terribly frightening in appearance, in fact, they looked positively friendly. With caps covering their heads and faces, the stood before Conner without any fear, and this is what ultimately frightened them. The way they carried themselves made them appear unconcerned as to the fact that they had been forced to come here. Unconcerned that the man in charge of them looked mean enough to lob off several heads in one swing should he become annoyed.

The two did not go unnoticed be Conner.

* * *

"I hear that they finally rounded up enough recruits to replace the last batch, and brought them in today." A cerulean eyed young man with messy chocolate hair spoke without turning to his companion as they walked.

"Really…" after glancing onyx eyes at the other for an affirming nod, he spoke again. "Well, let us hope that they are not half as witless as the idiots we had to work with last time." He paused in his speech and ran a hand through shoulder length black hair as they both recalled the last group of unfortunates, and shuddered mentally.

"Yes… though this time they've been placed in Conner's hands instead of Lark's." now the cerulean eyes glanced at the other as a look of relief mixed with amusement crossed the black haired man.

"They will be, undoubtedly, as traumatized as they will be ready for the battle field before Conner is through with them." He laughed lightly. " Most likely they will be terrified before they even start their training regime." The other nodded in amusement as the stepped out of the open corridor, and onto the training grounds. They stopped three feet in, to get a good look at the recruits.

A group of thirty or so young men stood rather pathetically before the large Conner as he glared at them. Most were pale, others were trembling, and some were both. But it was obvious that all of them were terrified. At least it appeared that way at first glance. Two more towards the front, stood as though they were lounging instead of being glared and growled at by a bull of a man.

"Well… if we've noticed those two, guaranteed Conner has." With a hand in his messy chocolate hair, he turned to his companion. " This should be fairly interesting…" And it was then, that Conner decided to take action.

" I hope you all realize that this is not a picnic, this is a training grounds for soldiers who will be in charge of protecting our lands!" He looked pointedly at those who stood languidly. He pointed at them. " You two don't look terribly enthusiastic about this training." The taller of the two tilted his head.

"To be quite honest Sir Conner, I doubt that _anyone_ present is terribly…_ joyful_ about the prospect of running fifty laps around the grounds, which by the way, are quite large, before they've even properly awakened yet." The smaller chuckled lightly at the others words. "That… and I do not have any binding ties to this land. Nor does my friend." Now at this, everyone present, even the pair watching from behind, were taken aback.

"Your names. Both of them, now." With his fingers buried within his cropped black hair, Conner looked confusedly at the pair as they smiled.

With a flick of his wrist, the taller removed his hat allowing long platinum blonde hair to cascade down his back, and his icy blue eyes were allowed an appearance before he bowed.

"Zechs Marquise at your service. And my friend here…" he looked to the shorter as Conner stared in amazement and recognition at Zechs, and then turned his attention to the other as he merely adjusted his cap so that one could see his face, and it wasn't until he mockingly bowed, did the carefully plaited rope of rich reddish brown hair fall over his should. He stood, and now Conner gazed into startling violet eyes.

"Duo Maxwell. I may run and hide, but I never tell a lie." With his hands on his slender hips, he looked at the trainer and smirked.

"Well…" he couldn't say much after that because he soon started laughing. " Zechs Marquise! I never thought I'd see the day!" still laughing, Conner clapped a large hand on the blondes' shoulder.

"What on earth are you doing here Marquise?" the two observers started towards the three as the onyx eyed man called out to the tall blonde. With his ice blue eyes widening, Zechs turned to fully face the two as they came to a complete halt before them. His face broke into a grin as he grasped the onyx eyed mans' hand and bowed.

"Dragon! It's been too long! I didn't expect to see you here." Rolling his eyes as the blonde released his hand, 'Dragon' shook his head.

"How many times must I tell you Marquise, it is _not_ Dragon. My name is Wufei." A collective gasp went up from the watching recruits at the recognition of the name. He was well known throughout most of the land for his military accomplishments.

"My apologies Wufei, but you must forgive my slip of tongue again." Zechs smirked as Wufei shook his head in exasperation, and then turned to face the other as he spoke up for the first time.

"If you don't mind our asking, what _are_ you doing here Zechs?" the blonde raised his eyebrows and mock gasped, pretending that he hadn't noticed the cerulean eyed males' presence before hand.

"Heero Yuy! Did you suddenly learn how to teleport?" the other, Heero, just glared at Zechs' antics. Duo snorted, gaining his tall companions attention.

"You really _are_ oblivious Zechs." With chuckle, said man nodded. "He's been here the entire time." Heero looked the other up and down, scrutinizing him. But he could find nothing wrong with the others physical form. From what he could see, the smaller mans frame was lightly built and slender, and the muscles a tightly coiled spring that has been well oiled. And there was nothing lacking in his features. With a small almost delicate nose, perfectly structured cheekbones, shapely lips, slender eyebrows, and a strong yet not obtrusive chin, he was nothing short of beautiful. But by far, the most outstanding feature was his violet eyes. Large and shaped like a rounded almond, they startled those around who glimpsed them. All in all, he made for a majestically fey appearance, despite his plain black clothes.

"You say your name is Duo Maxwell?" it was Heero that spoke, catching Wufei slightly by surprise. But Duo paid the onyx-eyed male no heed, and nodded his head. With cerulean eyes, Heero peered at him and Duo raised an eyebrow inquisitively. "You're not from around this area are you?" A low chuckle escaped the violet eyed mans lips.

"No, I'm not. And yet the moment those idiot guards see Zechs and myself, they automatically assume that we are, and threaten us under pain of death to join the military." Duo frowned. "I'm guessing that they weren't supposed to do that, judging by that expression on your faces." This time, he referred to both Heero and Wufei who looked livid. The two snarled at the same time and then whirled off in the direction of the barracks. Conner blinked after them and then sighing, turned to the startled recruits.

"Well, I suppose you all came under the same threat?" there was a unanimous nod of heads and the large man shook his head. "Well, we only want the willing here, so if you want to go back to your homes you may." There was a loud cheer, and many walked away and out of the palace grounds, but thirteen remained and asked to stay on, happy that now they weren't being forced to stay. Beaming, Conner nodded and readily agreed.

* * *

Meanwhile, Zechs and Duo went to follow after Heero and Wufei, wondering what was going to happen. Fortunately, they didn't have to search for the two, as Heero's angry shout resounded, leading them directly to the cerulean and onyx eyed men.

"You were told to recruit the _willing_!" the men before him cowered in fear, which was a slightly odd sight, as they were much larger than the slight Heero. "Not force under pain of death!" Wufei stood close by glowering, and it wasn't until Zechs placed a hand on his shoulder, did he turn his gaze away from the shamed guards. "Tell me! How many innocents did you murder!?"

"They killed none." Duo spoke up. "They may have roughed some of them up, but killed no one." Heero looked blankly at Duo, and one of the guards growled at the braided man.

"You're that bastard! The one that we first took!" violet eyes were emotionless as they looked at the enraged guard, and under his gaze, the armed man grew nervous.

"I'd like my sword back now please." Zechs, Wufei and Heero looked quizzically at Duo, but he ignored them and kept on staring at the fidgeting man before him. "I don't think it's right to take another's weapon without their permission, so if you could just hand it back."

"Swords don't belong in the hands of a whore!" with those words that spewed from the others mouth, Duo lost composure. His anger became a twisted snarl nailed to his face, his eyes violet flames that threatened to burn through the offending soldier, and his body was tense, pleadingly screaming for bloodshed. When he spoke, his voice was deeper and silky.

"You are going to seriously regret that." He shifted his gaze to Heero, who, sensing his unasked question, grimly nodded his head. "You will give me back my sword now, or I will take it in duel and pry it from your cold dead fingers." The soldier laughed shrilly.

"With what weapon will you fight me? I shall use my new sword!" he pulled out a brilliantly crafted masterpiece that shone silver and crimson in the midday light, the handle was ornately decorated, if simply designed, with black and silver wrap. Twisting and twining designs in black ran along the blade straight to the tip, only adding a mysterious air about it. Duo flinched when he saw it. "Recognize it? You should!" violet eyes only glared. "It's your sword, after all!!!"

"…I shall use only my hands." Only these six words slid from the braided male, as he slowly schooled his features into a blank expression, and the two faced off. A crowd had slowly gathered around, and all Heero, Zechs and Wufei could do was watch from the sidelines.

"When you are ready, you may attack. You may if it comes to it, kill your opponent." One of the older guards had taken care of the position of referee, and then moved back so the two could begin.

Duo merely stood silent and still as the man before him seethed and breathed heavily, his eyes cloudy with a thirst for blood, and the violet-eyed male smiled knowingly. Then he spoke, his voice an icy burn.

"You're one of the vampiric drakes, are you not?" startled, the guard nodded suspiciously, and Duo's smirk widened into a full grown malicious show of fangs. "One of the… Syainar lineage, I presume? Your dark grey hair, tan complexion and lavender eyes are a dead give away." The guard was fairly nervous now, as no one had ever observed what he was before. Not even Conner or Lark was aware.

"What's it to you, you motherless whore?!" Duo slightly shook his head and his eyes narrowed in hatred, though his 'smile' remained in place.

"I'm a little curious as to why you keep using that term to describe me, as I have never acted as a whore, slut or prostitute in my entire life." The guard looked confused now, and the next words that uttered from his lips were the last he ever spoke.

"No well deserving woman travels with men and carries a sword!" the moment he spoke the last word, blood spurted from the hole in his abdomen, and he died instantly. The violet-eyed man merely looked at his bloody hand and at the lung he grasped tightly. Sighing, he kneeled down beside the fallen drake, closed the open eyes, murmured something inaudible, and then gently pried the sword from the fingers that were already becoming stiff. The moment the sword touched his fingers, a brief purple flame lit upon the blades edge, then dissipated.

"Duo Maxwell… who are you?" the smile just returned innocently to the violet eyed males' lips as answer to Heero's question. Heero said nothing in reply, and looked at the dead guard. Duo looked as well, and then a sheepish look appeared on his face.

"I'm terribly sorry about the mess, but I don't exactly appreciate being called a woman." He paused before shrugging. "Then again, he did steal my sword. As well as…" He cut himself off, and after a moment he looked at the others surrounding them, noticing them for the first time. Blinking, he looked over them with neutral eyes until he found the one he sought out. The man paled under the intense gaze. "You. Are you going to willingly admit what you and your partner did, or am I going to have to force it out of you." Heero and Wufei looked at the guard that Duo addressed, with something akin to puzzlement. Slowly, the guard nodded.

"I-I'm not proud of what we did, sir." Duo raised an eyebrow. "I'm not!" the guard protested loudly now. Wufei sadly shook his head and spoke.

"Devon, what is it that you and Miren did that angered this man so much." Looking guiltily at the ground, Devon blushed shamefully at being addressed by Wufei. "Are you going to inform us Devon?"

"Y-yes sir…" he halted for a moment to compose himself before going on. "It was homeless forest brat, most likely one of the raccoon children judging from his black hair and ringed tail, which started the entire mess." Duo nodded absently in confirmation, and Devon, encouraged, continued. "He tried to steal Miren's family ring…" this is where Duo broke in.

"True enough that it looked like he was going to steal it, but he was really trying to get Miren's attention." Devon looked startled, so Duo continued. "He hadn't eaten in days, and when I came across him, I had been unsuccessful in my hunting. So I told him that up ahead was a pair of royal guards that might help him if he asked for their help." The guard looked positively miserable at hearing this, and looked at the ground. "Mister Devon was holding him, and then Mister Miren unsheathed his sword. I'll admit that Mister Devon did look surprised at that action, but he did not let go, which resulted in the slaughter of an innocent child." The others listening looked astounded. "I only arrived in time to see the tail end, with the raccoon child being held and then killed, but I highly doubt that he was trying to steal the ring." Devon meekly nodded. "He tried not to steal anything from me, so I doubt he tried to steal anything from you and your friend." Duo sighed.

"I didn't mean to hold him when Miren drew his sword, he's very protective of that ring you see, and it's his only memento of his Grandfather." Devon truly looked guilty, and he appeared sincere enough. Violet eyes met cerulean, an unspoken conversation passing between them, and finally, Heero nodded slowly.

"Well, you appear to be sincere enough…" Devon looked hopefully at Heero. "But you will still receive punishment. Hopefully the death of your partner was enough that you shouldn't need any… whipping, but you will have your training regime doubled and you will be on stable duty for the following month." Smiling, Devon bowed low.

"Thank you sir!" Heero snorted and shook his head.

"Don't thank me fool. I'm punishing you." Devon beamed though, and bounded off towards the stables, apparently taking Heero's words to heart. With a sigh, Heero once more turned to Duo, Wufei and Zechs. "I believe you gentlemen have a story to unfold." nodding towards the blonde and braided, he gestured for them to follow into the palace.

* * *

"Unfortunately, Sanq has fallen into that tyrant's hands, as has Relena." Ice blue ice closed momentarily before he continued on. "My sister is most likely dead, so Heero won't have to worry about his little stalker anymore…" he paused. "I'm sorry… I shouldn't be joking like that." Duo patted Zechs' shoulder awkwardly, and then seemed to remember something.

"So _he's_ the one Princess was always fawning over…" now Duo truly took in Heero. His messy chocolate brown hair gave the sense of being windswept, and practically screamed sexy; his cerulean eyes were slanted pools so deep and mysterious that one, should they ever dry to drown themselves in them, would most definitely succeed. His facial features were a work of art themselves, being finely sculpted so that even frowning he looked gorgeous. His body was no mistake either. Unless you called lean, slender, and built for a soldier to perfection a mistake. He was taller than Duo too. By a good four inches; and Duo was not exactly short, standing and 5'8. _Well, I can definitely tell why Relena was swooning over him. _He shook his head distractedly after a moment and shrugged at the questioning looks he got.

"You knew Relena?" at Wufei's voice, Duo looked at the onyx eyed man. Nodding absently, he took in Wufei's appearance as well. Like Heero, Wufei's eyes were slanted pools, but instead of blue, they were a deep midnight; his hair was jet-black, shiny and shoulder length, hanging loosely about his finely structured features. Similar to Heero, Wufei was lean and slender, but was closer to Duo's height at 5'9. And once more, Duo found himself finding the other slightly attractive, but he knew that Wufei was the one Zechs wanted. Duo would in no way hinder that.

"I was traveling alone when I stumbled across Zechs and Relena besieged by a rogue coyote slymphim1." He shook his head. "They're rather weak, but something had made this one go insane." Wufei and Heero nodded in agreement, and then Zechs continued on the violet-eyed males' story.

"After that, I invited him to live with us as long as he so desired." He slowly shook his head. " I was later accused of trying to kill Relena. Duo left with me, and I still have no clue as to why he followed me. Three days after that, we received word that Sanq had fallen." With a sigh, he stood and walked to the window. Wufei joined him at his side, facing towards where Duo and Heero sat.

"I do believe that you have been told that you are welcome here at any time Zechs, more so now than before I would believe, because of your military talents." He glanced at the blonde out of the corner of his eye. A small smile graced the taller ones lips and he closed his eyes. Wufei nodded once before returning to his seat by Heero, now looking pointedly at Duo. "I do believe that you have proved your prowess in battle already, so if you wish, you may remain here." The longhaired man nodded with a small grateful smile, and titled his head to look out the window. It was then that Wufei and Heero both noticed the memory seal that graced Duo's long slender neck.

"You… have a memory seal on your neck." Heero's abrupt statement caused Duo to start and look wide eyed at the cerulean-eyed male. "Wufei…" the onyx-eyed male nodded.

"He resembles him greatly, I thought that much upon first laying eyes upon him." He paused. "His name and age appearance are right as well." Duo was well confused by now, and looked between the two before realization slowly dawned on him.

"You trying to say you might know me?" his tone was guarded but curious.

"Perhaps…but Nataku claimed that he hadn't survived the change…" Wufei turned from wide violet eyes to look Heero.

"True, but you know how the elders felt about him. They absolutely hated him." Cerulean eyes looked at Duo, something hopeful in his gaze. Slender shoulders tensed slightly, almost worried.

"Who do you think I am?" his tone was soft, pleadingly so. Wufei looked at him thoughtfully, almost contemplating on whether or not to tell him, before he came to a decision and spoke.

"My brother, and Heero's best friend."

* * *

Well, that... is the first chapter. I have no clue if you people like it, so in order to let me know? Review please! Press the button and review!! 

S: She works better if you acknowledge the fact that she can write.


	3. Possiblilities

Leikaru: Hey readers! Here is chapter two, and thank you very much for the reviews I received! They made me happy!

Sain: Yeah. You should have seen her. I almost vomitted it was so happy.

Leikaru: -glare- Sain. Disclaimer. Now.

Sain: ...o.o She owns nothing save for a few characters and the story line.

Leikaru: Now read, and ENJOY!

* * *

Duo stared at Wufei as if the other male had grown an extra head, which of course, he had not. Heero stood just to the left of his raven-haired friend, and tried to gauge what the violet eyed mans' next course of action would be. It wasn't every day that someone that you had known for maybe about thirty minutes, told you that they might have the key to unlocking your past, simply because you look like someone they used to know, and hold the same name. It wasn't until Zechs gently tapped Duo's shoulder that he finally snapped out of it.

"So basically you're saying that we might be brothers and that Heero might have been best friends?" he shook his head slowly. "Are you sure that you don't have me confused with someone else? I mean, people without memory of their past, while not common, they're not exactly rare either." Wufei could do nothing but nod in agreement.

"While I agree with you in what you say, think about how you look and your name. Specifically take a good look at your eyes." He pointed directly at the unusual shade of deep rich violet that coloured Duo's eyes. "Have you ever seen or met someone with a name the same as yours or with eyes even remotely close to that colour?" The other stared at Wufei for a moment, as if deep in thought, before slowly shaking his head and confirming the onyx eyed mans thoughts. "Then can you really ignore the chance that you might be who we think you are?"

Duo was silent for a moment before he opened his mouth to speak. But before he could utter any words in reply, the door to the chamber swung wide open to reveal a tall willowing man whose hair was of a rich brown colour that grew short in the back, but allowed for his longer bangs to fall over one emerald green eye.

"There you are Heero. I've been looking for you. There's something I think you should know." The Prussian eyed man turned to look at him from his observation of the interactions between Duo and Wufei.

"Trowa… What's wrong?" The tall one didn't have time to reply as suddenly, a much shorter blonde ran into the room, his mages robes swishing elegantly behind him. He looked immediately at Heero and spoke five words that had Heero paling.

"Hide. Une's looking for you." Without another word, the Prussian eyed soldier quickly ran to the closet that stood at the opposite end of the room, and quickly concealed himself inside. Duo was extremely confused by Heero's actions, and merely stared at the closet. Wufei quickly grabbed him, and forced him to look at him.

"Whatever you do, do not tell the woman that comes in here where he is. Do you understand?" the tone in the onyx eyed mans voice had Duo nodding immediately, but before anything else could be said or asked, a shout down the hall made Wufei shudder visibly.

"YUY! Where are you, you bastard!" the severe tone of the woman's voice got louder as it became obvious that she was nearing the room. "CHANG!!!" Wufei winced.

"Yes Une?" at the sound of his voice, a severe looking woman with her hair in a set of tight buns, and a pair of glasses perched on her nose, marched into the room.

"Chang, where is he?" the glare that she had pinned on the raven-haired male caused him to shift to slightly more protective stance. "I know that you are aware of Yuy's whereabouts. So just save yourself a lot of pain, and inform me of his location." Zechs looked at the woman who was making _his_ dragon uncomfortable, and decided to save him from her merciless fury.

"Miss Une! Such a pleasure to see you again!" the tone that he used to address her was of suck charming quality, that she immediately stopped glaring at Wufei, and whirled around bewildered to look at the other male. Upon recognizing him, her eyes widened in disbelief.

"Zechs Marquise!" she was extremely startled to see him standing there. There was due reason for that though, seeing as he was supposed to be back in the Sanq Kingdom. "What on earth are you doing here?" Zech's looked mildly surprised.

"I'm amazed that you are unaware of the situation at Sanq, considering your wide array informants." Une looked confused.

"Which situation are you talking about? Did you have an argument with Relena?"

"No, nothing of the sort. But Sanq has fallen into enemy hands, and I am unaware as to who the perpetrators are, Relena captured, and the Kingdom overrun." Une was rigid in disbelief.

"You need to speak to His Majesty Treize. Immediately. And I need to find out what happened to my informants. Finding Yuy can wait until later." As she turned to leave, she noticed Duo's presence for the first time. She stopped and stared at him unnervingly, making him wonder if had done something wrong. "Chang."

"Yes Une?" Wufei's tone was wary as he spoke to her, almost as if afraid that she was going to bite his head off at any moment.

"Have Quatre check that boy for any curses, and have him try and see if he can identify who cast that memory seal. I think I recognize the feel of the magic, but I can't be sure until he checks." With wide eyes, Wufei merely nodded, and stood watching the door long after she had left, dragging the blonde Noble man behind her.

"Well…" the blonde in the mage robes spoke up. "That was certainly interesting as well as unexpected. It's been a while since Une needed or wanted me to check something like this."

The closet door opened and Heero peered out into the room. Seeing that the coast was clear, he eased himself out into the room and spoke to the blonde that Duo had deduced was Quatre.

"Why would Une want you to check for curses Quatre?" the blonde merely shrugged, but looked incredibly intrigued by something. He gestured to Duo.

"Do you mind if I take a look Mr.…"

"Duo. Duo Maxwell. And…" he smiled wryly at the title of Mr. "Just Duo. Nothing else please." Quatre smiled warmly at the braided man and approached.

"Do you know of any reason as to why Une would want me to check you for any curses? I realize that they're not my forte, but I still should have been able to sense it had you one on you, even without using magic." He looked encouragingly at Duo. "That memory seal is rather noticeable so I can understand her mentioning that, but curses?"

Duo frowned in thought for a moment before he slowly nodded an affirmative.

"I think that I can gather as to why she would want you to check me for any curses." Wufei looked quizzically at the violet-eyed man.

"Really? But why would you have a curse on you?" Duo merely shook his head, making it quite clear that he wasn't ready to talk about it just yet, if at all.

"Let's just say that there's a bunch of people that are pissed off at me, and that part of it's my sword."

"Do you mind if I take a look at your sword?" this time it was not Quatre that spoke, but Trowa. For a moment, Duo looked undecidedly at the sheathed weapon before he slowly drew it from its' scabbard. Trowa's emerald green eyes widened visibly, and Quatre gave an audible gasp.

"I thought that all of the creation age weapons had been destroyed!" the hushed remark that came from Quatre piqued the interest of Heero and Wufei, and even had Duo looking at him curiously.

"Creation Age weapons?" Trowa answered the question that came from Wufei, even as he stood staring, transfixed on the sword.

"The weapons that the Gods used to make this earth habitable for us, their offspring. They used the Creation weapons when they came down to this earth when it was still overrun with miasma, death, despair, and monsters…." He cut off his explanation to turn to Quatre and ask a question. " You wouldn't happen to know which sword this is, would you? We've lost all records of which weapon is which, but this is definitely a Creation Age weapon."

"Even I'm not exactly sure as to which weapon it is, and I have a less limited access to the scriptures that state which of the weapons belonged to who, and what they were called. That information was lost long ago I think, and only the Five would know of them." He looked ponderingly at the beautiful masterpiece. "But if I had to hazard a guess…."

"Mortum Nyx. That is the title of this sword." Duo spoke quietly, eyes half lidded as he gently ran a finger across the decorative designs that ran from the hilt of the sword down to the tip, watching them intently as they flashed crimson and deep cobalt as his flesh caressed them.

"Mortum Nyx…" Trowa spoke the name in awe. "How did you come by it? It shouldn't be possible that it's in a mortals hands, even if they are one of the more direct descendants of the Gods."

Duo shrugged noncommittally.

"I can't really remember. I know that I've held possession of it since before I lost my memory, but other than that…" he paused as if remembering something. " But I do recall a soft gentle voice saying that he passed his sword onto me. He never said why, but I have a feeling that it was imperative that I hold onto this sword with my life." He looked pointedly at Wufei and Heero. "Thus my rather… shall we say _violent_ display over that bastards stealing of my sword." He shrugged again. "But that is the only memory I have from before the memory seal was placed on me, and even then it's vague."

The blonde mage was silent for a moment, before he seemed to come to some sort of conclusion and spoke once more.

"Mortum Nyx is the sword of Lukan." The others looked wide-eyed at him at those words. "If I'm correct, then the sword that you now own originally belonged to the God of Death." Distractedly, Duo nodded.

"And that, my friend, is probably why that woman thought that I may have been cursed. Of course that's only one reason, because as I've said before. Not every body I know is happy with me, and I am NOT getting into the reasons. It is not a very pleasant tale, and I have no wish to repeat it to any one." The look on his face closed off any further conversation on the topic, efficiently killing Quatre's curiosity on the subject. "But you're more than welcome to check the memory seal as well as for any possible curses." The blonde nodded and asked for Duo to sit. He gently pushed aside the thick rope of reddish brown hair to get a better look at the memory seal that lay upon Duo's neck. From the corner of his left eye, Duo watched as he felt the small blonde lightly touch the mark.

After a moment, he pulled away. His face, for the most part was unreadable, but it was definitely thoughtful.

"Do you recognize the mark and magic Quatre?" Wufei's tone was casually curious, but everyone in the room knew why he was asking. As much as he really didn't feel like admitting it, he felt safe with Heero and Wufei, and held for him, a familiarity that only Mortum Nyx had ever offered him. He felt like he belonged there, and he felt an undeniably strong pull towards Heero.

"Wufei…" the tone of Quatre's voice was cautious. " This is Nataku's seal…"

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"Ah. Milliardo. This is an unexpected surprise, if a welcome one." Treize stood in front of a large bookcase, partially turned around to look at the blonde man. A small red headed girl that looked remarkably like Treize sat elegantly in her chair, a thick volume on her lap.

"Sir Zechs. Such a pleasure to see you once more." The blonde bowed lowly to the child.

"Marie-maea, your growth and beauty continue to astound and awe me to this day." The girl giggled and Zechs turned back to look at her father. "And I don't know as to why you insist upon calling me by my childhood name, when I have repeatedly asked you not to." Treize smiled charmingly.

"Your Majesty, Marquise carries grave news from the Kingdom of Sanq. I will let him inform you of it, seeing as I have need of seeing what has become of my informants. If you'll excuse me…" Une spoke only those words and then left the room, Marie-maea quick on her heels, always eager to see her father's Head mage work her wondrous spells. Treize watched them exit before he turned back to Zechs.

"Grave news from Sanq that even Une has yet to be informed about?" his tone and expression grave, he gestured for the blonde Noble to sit. "This must be serious indeed."

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L: Well??? Did you like it? Do you want more? If so, please leave a review and we will get back to you at a later date.

S: o.O

L: No seriously. Please review! It might help with the coninuance of the story! AT ;east while my writers block is dead!!!!!!!!!!!


	4. The Past

L: Well, here's the next chapter... sorry its so short, but I felt the need to leave you ona cliff hanger. My muses are currently asleep, which is probably why its so short... after all. I'm writing this at like two o'clock in the morning... Hope you like it!

Don't own nufink, save for the plot and maybe a few characters.

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And so, Zechs repeated the story of how he had come to be within Treize's kingdom, starting with how he had come to be accused of trying to assassinate his younger sister, all the way to how he had come to be accosted by the recruiting soldiers. He skillfully left out Duo's duel with the unfortunate oaf who had stolen the precious sword that was one of the violet-eyed boys personal possessions.

By the time he had finished his account, the ginger haired king was frowning and seemed rather perturbed. The long haired, blonde prince settled into a fixed gaze upon the floor in front of him, determined to bore a hole through the stone upon which their chairs sat. It wasn't until Treize turned sky blue eyes upon the prince, the Zechs finally looked up.

"This is grave news indeed, my friend." The king looked almost bemusedly upset, and Zechs knew that his old friend was terribly unnerved. "So it all started with someone framing you for the attempted murder of your sister? I find it hard to believe that anyone in your kingdom would even consider the thought that you'd try to harm her." He fixed a strained smile upon the blonde. "I remember you once nearly decapitating a man of rather high status for even suggesting that he wouldn't mind sleeping with her."

The sky blue eyes now turned to look out the window that was situated to the left of where the king sat, and let out a small sigh. He gracefully rose to his feet and paced to the window before whistling an odd little tune into the mid-evening air. From what seemed like out of nowhere, a dazzling bird of crimson and gold lighted upon his arm. The blonde rose immediately to his feet and cautiously strode forward.

"I will send Epyon to survey your kingdom Zechs. Should he find anything of interest he will immediately return here and I will have Une access it from his memories." He smiled wryly. "He's immensely useful for such things, but I do wish that there was some way to make him able to speak. I hate always needing Une to access the memories."

Zechs looked at Treize with undisguised thanks, and the other smiled in understanding.

"I… Thank you, Treize. You couldn't possible begin to imagine how much this means to me." The slightly taller of the two clasped his free hand on the blonde's shoulder before looking at the bird.

"Epyon, fly south to Sanq and then return to me with what you have learned. Be careful and do not allow yourself to become captured." The majestic bird nodded its crested head just once before it gently lifted itself from Treize's arm and flew off away from the castle. "Une should soon find out what happened to her informants within your kingdom and will report back here. In the mean time, I should wonder if you've had anything to eat since you came to be here."

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"This is Nataku's seal."

The blonde mage's words rang through the room as though a gong had been smashed, and the other occupants could do scarcely anything more than stare at him. It was Trowa though, and not Wufei or Heero who broke the silence.

"You're positive in this Quatre?" Aquamarine met emerald in affirmative. "It's not just one that's incredibly like hers?"

"I'm absolutely positive about this Trowa. I've worked along side that particular Rosemary Clan Elder several times. The one time that I accidentally confused one's magic with another's was because I had never worked with them personally." The mage now looked directly at Wufei and Heero. "There is no doubt in my mind that this is Nataku's seal. I would stake my abilities on it."

Duo, who by now was completely baffled, looked between the four men who had now turned rather odd gazes his way. Trowa's and Quatre's he recognized, they were filled with astonishment and a slight undertone of understanding. Wufei's, although, seemed to be filled with relief and… was that wonderment? That gaze he found, though easily read, still difficult to interpret. Now Heero's… the look he received from those smoky Prussian eyes was completely unreadable, save for what the violet eyed man could only construe as slightly satisfied longing. But the longing was still present, and he had to tear himself away from those deep eyes lest he allow himself to drown within their depths. Thus, he turned to Wufei and, quite bluntly, asked the question that had been bugging him.

"So… who exactly is Nataku? You mentioned her before, but never explained." Onyx eyes gazed at him for a moment, hesitant in how he word this so as not to possibly confuse the boy before him even more.

"Nataku is… an Elder of the Taisen Rosemary Clan." He shifted his eyes to look at a beautifully woven tapestry of an expansive night sky alight with a dragon spewing forth golden and blue flame. "There is no doubt in my mind now that you really are my brother, so I will word this so that you are the one whom she took." Duo was now completely confused.

"In other words, he'll explain so that it is you that were with us all those years ago." The braided male had difficulties trying to make himself stay focused on Wufei when Heero's velvety timbre reached his ears, but was successful: for the moment anyway.

"It was probably about seven years ago that Nataku took you to the Change Mountains for you to fully come into your power. The other Elders, for some reason or another, never liked you and left the task for her. We saw you off that night, but when she returned a fortnight later, she was alone. She claimed that you had not survived the change and had stayed one day to properly mourn your death." The onyx eyes looked mournfully into violet. "Heero and I… we were… devastated. Back then, we felt like we had to protect you or die trying. You were so… vibrant and full of life that, even though we were only a day or two older than you at the most, we just felt that we had to be there to shield you from the world. When we heard that you were dead, we felt like we had failed in out self set task."

Heero padded silently over to his friends' side, even as Wufei took the five steps that placed him in directly in front of Duo. The raven haired men crouched so that he looked up into violet orbs and allowed a single tear to leak from his own eyes as one slender yet strong hand took a paler hand into his own.

"Back then, you were our world and we would have done anything to keep you safe. Even if it meant defying the Elders…" Wufei trailed off and had to lower his eyes. Duo merely watched with an unreadable expression on his face, knowing the story was far from over. Heero continued on from where the other had stopped.

"No one knew who had created your egg, as it had been found in the middle of the battle field, where a camp had once stood. Your egg had been carefully hidden and we knew it was Taisen from the distinct markings that all of those who become Taisen have upon their eggs. Many of the Taisen had died that day, and no one knew who the parents might have been as no one layed claim to you. Wufei's mother brought you back and placed you in her nest next to Wufei's egg. The Elders were rather unhappy that she had done this, as for all they knew, it could have been one of the survivors trying to get out of the responsibility of raising you." the snort that he added at the end of that explanation told Duo exactly what Heero thought of the Elders reasoning. "Wufei hatched only two days ahead of you. I hatched on that day as well. From the moment you hatched, the three of us were inseparable. Wufei's mother had not been present right at the moment when you hatched, but the two of us were." A soft smile that had even Trowa and Quatre looking at him oddly graced the chocolate haired Rosemary's lips. "We were taken to the Change Mountains two months before you were, so we had assumed that you would survive as we had. But as your turn grew nearer, the Elders became more insufferable. They had already made known their distaste of us being around you as clear as they could. It was almost as if they were afraid of you. We ignored them of course, as most twelve year olds do…" he stopped, unable to continue and Duo drew the two closer to him, embracing them even as they clung tightly to him.

During Heero's turn speaking, the braided male had lowered himself onto the floor as had Heero so that he could be closer to Wufei to offer support. Duo was unsure as of yet whether or not he really believed that he was the one whom they were searching for, but he would not turn them away when they needed comfort. Besides, something in the story just rang true within him and he couldn't turn away the feeling that he belonged with them.

"I… I don't know yet if I believe that I am really the same person of which you speak…" Wufei and Heero had lessened their grip on the boy between them. "But… I…" Duo wasn't sure how to word this.

He needn't have worried though, as a tall regal looking woman suddenly entered the room.

Silver hair flowed behind her, and when her yellow eyes came to rest upon Duo, she took a single step back.

"Duo…" was the single thing that she murmured before she descended upon the group that clung to each other.

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L: Expect another update soon. And REVIEWS would be REALLY NICE!!!!! I didn't recieve any for my other Gundam story when I updated. T-T 


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